BigFuture | College Board
Depends
Confidence: Low
US high school students should use it . it's free and covers college comparison, careers, and aid.
New check
Comparison
BigFuture | College Board vs Apply to college with Common App
BigFuture | College Board lands on Depends, and Apply to college with Common App lands on Worth it.
Apply to college with Common App
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
Use it if you're a student applying to any of the 1,000+ member colleges.
| Compare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Worth it |
| Best for | US high schoolers planning college | High school seniors applying to multiple US colleges |
| Who it's not for | Businesses shopping for software . this is a student site | Applicants whose target schools aren't members, use each school's own portal |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.³ | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.⁹ |
| Support quality | No support evidence in sources | No support quality evidence found. |
| Public sentiment | No independent user reviews surfaced in the sources reviewed; commentary found was privacy advocacy, not user feedback.⁴ | Applicants treat it as the convenient default for multi-school applications while complaining about fees, post-submission mistakes, and privacy.15 |
| Biggest gotcha | A College Board workshop case study reportedly listed 'Buy Names -> Analyze' and 'Purchase Flow' for student data.⁵ | Submitted applications are hard to correct; users report spotting mistakes after submitting early-decision apps.16 |
Pick BigFuture | College Board when
- US high schoolers planning college
- PSAT/SAT takers wanting the companion app
- Families comparing college costs and aid
When BigFuture | College Board is not a fit
- Businesses shopping for software . this is a student site
- Privacy-strict families wary of student-data monetization
- International students; the app is US-only
- Anyone wanting verified user reviews before committing
Pick Apply to college with Common App when
- High school seniors applying to multiple US colleges
- Counselors managing recommender letters
- International applicants targeting US schools
- Applicants juggling many deadlines
When Apply to college with Common App is not a fit
- Applicants whose target schools aren't members, use each school's own portal
- Graduate or MBA applicants, this is undergraduate only
- Anyone expecting admissions advice or essay coaching, it's just a form hub
- Students applying to exactly one school, that school's own form is simpler
Sources
- Home - BigFuture | College Boardbigfuture.collegeboard.orgofficial
- BigFuture® School - Apps on Google Playplay.google.comofficial
- BigFuture Security pagebigfuture.collegeboard.orgsecurity
- Parents question College Board's use of student datastudentprivacymatters.orgnews
- Parent Coalition for Student Privacy archivesstudentprivacymatters.orgnews
- Apply to college with Common App (official)commonapp.orgofficial
- Common App application loginapply.commonapp.orgofficial
- Common App product security pagecommonapp.orgsecurity
- How secure is the Common App for submitting applications?collegevine.comsecurity
- Is Common App worth the $50 fee?quora.comreview
- Mistake on common app (Reddit)reddit.comreview
- CommonApp May Hand Your Info To Anyonetalk.collegeconfidential.comreview
- Pros and cons of using the Common Appcitizensbank.comnews
- Guide to the Common Applicationprincetonreview.comnews
- borderless.soborderless.soreview
- reddit.comreddit.comreview